2025 Spring Sports Preview: Teigen Brill rides solo as lone member of North Central boys golf team

Not only is Teigen Brill an only child at home, but he is also the only member of North Central High School’s boys varsity golf team.

While other schools either have multiple players or completely banish the sport, NC kept their squad alive so Brill could go on to make history. According to the Washington Junior Golf Association archives, Brill is the first male Spokane Public Schools student-athlete to receive a Division I scholarship to play golf in more than 20 years.

Brill officially committed to Seattle University in January and will finish out his junior and senior years having already accomplished one of his greatest life goals.

Brill began playing golf at 2 years old when his parents introduced the sport to him.

“I remember going to the range with my dad just trying to hit the range picker,” Brill said. “Just hit balls as far as I could.”

A few years later, he joined the junior program at Kalispel Golf and Country Club where he met the man who would soon become his most valued coach and a lifelong family friend. Kalispel Head PGA Golf Professional, Nick McCaslin, has also been giving Brill private lessons for the past six years, focusing on perfecting his swing and polishing his natural talent.

Though he currently rides solo as a high school competitor, there was a time when Brill had a team alongside him. He was always welcoming, encouraging and supportive with his teammates – but he wasn’t the kind to lead explicitly or emphasize his own success.

“He’s going to be a leader, but he’s also going to be … not a loud, boisterous leader,” McCaslin said. “He’s going to be a humble leader.”

Brill now enjoys being the sole athlete on his team as it highlights the individuality of the sport and allows him to be the exclusive representative of North Central. When he attends tournaments across the state, competitors don’t often know much about the school.

He is the underdog by default and faces slight diversity as others arrive with a crew of support, but he then surprises everyone with a magnificent performance. Without a team, there is no reliance on anyone else and there is only accountability for oneself. Brill thrives with that mindset.

“If you lose, it’s on you. If you win, it’s all on you,” Brill said.

Brill participated in team sports as a kid, including baseball and basketball, but golf has consistently taken priority. He never felt the need to take a break or switch things up – golf has always been the lone focus. It has become such a major aspect of his life that its absence would leave an empty void. Plus, it is a sport with more longevity than any other.

“Taking a golf route … you can play your whole life,” Brill said. “I feel like baseball or football or any other sports like that your body kind of breaks down and you can’t, you know, you can’t play it anymore. So, golf’s a full-time, lifetime sport.”

Considering golf is such an expensive sport, Brill does not take for granted the opportunities he received throughout his childhood. Other kids, especially within NC’s district, are not as fortunate.

Brill is grateful and dedicated not only to his sport but also his academics and the accommodations the school affords him as a student-athlete. With an impressive 3.95 GPA, he aims to pursue wealth management in the future.

“Keeping my grades up is important to me, but it’s so hard with tournaments because you’re always gone,” Brill said.

Tournaments can span up to a week and, with daily practice at Kalispel, that doesn’t leave Brill much time for studying. Fortunately, teachers are flexible, and Brill is a dedicated, hard-working student who will not take failure as an option.

While still enjoying the game and embracing his love for the sport, Brill has not let the expansive world of golf overpower his academics or his social life. Soon enough, these skills will be put to the test as he starts a new journey playing at the collegiate level come the fall of 2026.

“He’s accomplished a lot of things, and I think … he’s not done,” McCaslin said. “He’s going to just keep going.”